Art can help sense ‘God’s hand in our own lives’

The Catholic Church has long been one of the “world’s great patrons of art,” said Dr. Nora M. Heimann, associate professor of art history and chair of the department of art at the Catholic University of America.

While art can inspire and delight, among its original purposes was “explaining complex theological” ideas,” said Heimann.

Some of the current course offerings at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., include “Art & Devotion,” “The Cult of Saints in Medieval Europe,” “Introduction to Early Christian Art and Archaeology,” “Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael,” as well as classes on works from the Byzantium empire.